氷床を含むどの大陸、池、湖、海…今や地球上のどこにも外来の動植物がいない場所など無いでしょう。侵略的外来種の明確な定義を示し、本来そこにいなかった生物が他の地域から入り込むことになる無数の要因、それが環境、社会、経済面に及ぼす影響を考察します。地球規模で起こっている変化が生物の多種多様性にどう作用しているのかや、悪影響に対策するための政策・管理の手法を探り、侵略的外来種がより大きな文脈での環境の変化にどう位置づけられるのかを検討します。(cf. Invasive Species: What Everyone Needs to Know)

     
Today there is no place on Earth that does not harbour invasive exotic species. Invasive plants and animals can be found on every continent, including Antarctica, and within all waterbodies, including all oceans. In our increasingly connected world, with speedy commercial and recreational travel and the global movement of biological matter for food, invasive species are showing up at such a fast rate that there is no way to accurately count how many currently exist or how many are likely to emerge in the coming decades. Monitoring these species and controlling their spread is essential, as we increasingly understand the negative impacts they pose: their threat to our health; the toll they take on our commercial production; and the threat they pose to native ecosystems.
    
This Very Short Introduction provides a clear definition of an invasive species, and considers the myriad ways they are moved around the globe, and the ecological, social, and economic impacts they often impose. Exploring the way Earth's biodiversity is being affected by global change, Julie Lockwood also discusses policy and management approaches to combating the ill-effects of invasive species, and how invasive species fit within the broader context of environmental change.